Sons of retd PAC head constable held among four for heists

Lucknow: The south zone police of the Lucknow police commissionerate on Monday busted an interstate burglary gang that executed a series of house break-ins before fleeing to Bihar. Four accused were arrested near Vrindavan gate under the limits of PGI police station.Police revealed that two of the arrested men are sons of retired PAC head constables who were posted in Lucknow.
DCP (south) Nipun Agarwal said the accused are natives of Kaimur and Saran districts of Bihar and developed a calculated pattern: strike at locked houses and retreat to native villages in Bihar.The brothers, identified as Sonu Singh (26) and Shaktiman Singh (26), are residents of Kaimur district. Their father, Vijay Shankar Singh, served in PAC 35th battalion and retired as a head constable, police said.Their associates — Sonu Kumar Sah alias Sonu Pahadi (31) from Saran district and Brijesh Nishad (29) from Fatehpur — were also arrested.The gang maintained rented accommodation in Nadarganj and worked as drivers or mechanics. "They blended into local neighbourhoods and conducted reconnaissance during the day," said Agarwal."Soon after committing the burglary, they dispersed and travelled back to Bihar. This back-and-forth movement between Lucknow and Bihar made tracking them particularly challenging," Agarwal added.The arrests followed a complaint of burglary at a house in Eldeco Udyan-II, where the occupants travelled out of the city from Feb 2-6 to attend a wedding. On returning, they found the house ransacked and valuables missing.An FIR was registered under section 305(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, with section 317(2) added subsequently.Assistant DCP, Vasanth Rallapalli said police seized Rs42,362 in cash, an air gun (rifle), and a substantial quantity of stolen jewellery. Police records indicate that at least two of the accused have prior criminal cases registered in Lucknow.